Editing Encyclopedia:Manual of Style (section)

==Capital letters==
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters}}

Wikipedia article titles and section headings use sentence case, not title case; see [[Wikipedia:Article titles]] and {{section link||Section headings}}. For capitalization of list items, see {{section link||Bulleted and numbered lists}}. Other points concerning capitalization are summarized below. Full information can be found at [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters]]. The central point is that Wikipedia does not capitalize something unless it is consistently capitalized in a substantial majority of independent, [[Wikipedia:Reliable sources|reliable sources]].

===Capitalization of ''The''===
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Capitalization of The}}

Generally, do not capitalize the word ''the'' in mid-sentence: {{xt|throughout the United Kingdom}}, not {{!xt|throughout The United Kingdom}}. Conventional exceptions include certain proper names ({{xt|he visited The Hague}}) and most titles of creative works ({{xt|Tolkien wrote ''The Lord of the Rings''}}{{snd}}but be aware that ''the'' might not be part of the title itself, e.g., {{xt|Homer composed the ''Odyssey''}}).

There are special considerations for: [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Music#Names (definite article)|band names]] &middot;&nbsp;[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Institutions|institution names]] &middot;&nbsp;[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography#NICKNAMETHE|nicknames]] &middot;&nbsp;[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Titles#Indefinite and definite articles|titles of works]] &middot;&nbsp;[[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Trademarks#TMTHE|trademarks]].

===Titles of works<span id="Capitalization-Titles"></span>===
{{main|WP:Manual of Style/Titles of works}}

The English-language titles of compositions (books and other print works, songs and other audio works, films and other visual media works, paintings and other artworks, etc.) are given in {{em|[[title case]]}}, in which every word is given an initial capital except for certain less important words (as detailed at {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters|Composition titles}}). The first and last words in an English-language title are always capitalized.
*{{em|Correct:}} {{xt|''An Eye for an Eye''}}
*{{em|Correct:}} {{xt|''Worth the Fighting For''}}

Capitalization in non-English language titles varies, even over time within the same language; generally, retain the style of the original for modern works, and follow the usage in current{{efn|name=recent}} English-language reliable sources for historical works. When written in the Latin alphabet, many of these items should also be in [[#Italics|italics]], or enclosed in [[#Names and titles|quotation marks]].
*{{em|Correct:}} {{xt|{{lang|fr|Les Liaisons dangereuses}}}}
*{{em|Correct:}} {{xt|"{{lang|de|italics=no|Hymnus an den heiligen Geist}}"}}

===Titles of people===
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Biography#Titles of people}}
*'''In generic use''', use lower case for words such as ''president'', ''king'', and ''emperor'' ({{xt|De Gaulle was a French president}}; {{xt|Louis XVI was a French king}}; {{xt|Three prime ministers attended the conference}}).
*'''Directly before the person's name''', such words begin with a capital letter ({{xt|President Obama}}, not {{!xt|president Obama}}). Standard or commonly used names of an office are treated as proper names ({{xt|David Cameron was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom}}; {{xt|Hirohito was Emperor of Japan}}; {{xt|Louis XVI was King of France}}). Royal styles take capitals ({{xt|Her Majesty}}; {{xt|His Highness}}); exceptions may apply for particular offices.

===Religions, deities, philosophies, doctrines===
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Religions, deities, philosophies, doctrines, and their adherents}}
{{see|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Religion}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Titles#Religious texts}}
*'''Religions, sects, and churches''' and their followers (in noun or adjective form) start with a capital letter. Generally, "the" is not capitalized before such names ({{xt|the Unitarians}}, not {{!xt|The Unitarians}}).
*'''[[Religious text]]s''' are capitalized, but often not italicized ({{xt|the Bhagavad Gita}}, {{xt|the Quran}}, {{xt|the Talmud}}, {{xt|the Granth Sahib}}, {{xt|the Bible}}). Do not capitalize "the" when using it in this way. Some derived adjectives are capitalized by convention, and some are not ({{xt|biblical}}, but {{xt|Quranic}}); if unsure, check a dictionary.
*'''[[Honorific]]s for deities''', including proper names and titles, start with a capital letter ({{xt|God}}, {{xt|Allah}}, {{xt|the Lord}}, {{xt|the Supreme Being}}, {{xt|the Great Spirit}}, {{xt|the Horned One}}, {{xt|Bhagavan}}). Do not capitalize "the" in such cases or when referring to major religious figures or characters from mythology ({{xt|the Prophet}}, {{xt|the Messiah}}, {{xt|the Virgin}}). Common nouns for deities and religious figures are not capitalized ({{xt|many gods}}; {{xt|the god Woden}}; {{xt|saints and prophets}}).
*'''Pronouns for figures of veneration or worship''' are not capitalized, even if capitalized in a religion's scriptures ({{xt|God and his will}}).
*'''Broad categories of mythical or legendary beings''' start with lower-case letters ({{xt|elf}}, {{xt|fairy}}, {{xt|nymph}}, {{xt|unicorn}}, {{xt|angel}}), although in works of fantasy, such as the novels of [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] and some video games, initial capitals are sometimes used to indicate that the beings form a culture or race in a [[fictional universe]]. Capitalize the names or titles of individual creatures ({{xt|the Minotaur}}, {{xt|Pegasus}}) and of groups whose name and membership are fixed ({{xt|the Magi, or the Three Wise Men}}, {{xt|the Furies}}). Generalized references are not capitalized ({{xt|these priests}}; {{xt|several wise men}}; {{xt|cherub-like}}).
*'''Spiritual or religious events''' are capitalized only when referring to specific incidents or periods ({{xt|the Great Flood}} and {{xt|the Exodus}}; but {{xt|annual flooding}} and {{xt|an exodus of refugees}}).
*'''Philosophies, theories, movements, and doctrines''' use lower case unless the name derives from a proper name ({{xt|capitalism versus Marxism}}) or has become a proper name ({{xt|republican}}, a system of political thought; {{xt|Republican}}, a political party). Use lower case for doctrinal topics or canonical religious ideas (as opposed to specific events), even if they are capitalized by some religious adherents ({{xt|virgin birth}}, {{xt|original sin}}, {{xt|transubstantiation}}).
*'''[[Platonic idealism|Platonic]] or transcendent ideals''' are capitalized in the context of philosophical doctrine ({{xt|Truth}}, {{xt|the Good}}); used more broadly, they are in lower case ({{xt|Superman represents American ideals of truth and justice}}). Use capitals for personifications represented in art ({{xt|the guidebook mentioned statues of Justice and Liberty}}).
*{{anchor|Eponyms|EPONYM|EPONYMS}}'''[[Eponym]]s''' are capitalized ([[Edwardian era|{{xt|Edwardian}}]], [[De Morgan's laws|{{xt|De Morgan's laws}}]], [[Alice in Wonderland syndrome|{{xt|Alice in Wonderland syndrome}}]], [[Plaster of Paris|{{xt|plaster of Paris}}]], [[Platonic idealism|{{xt|Platonic idealism}}]], [[Draconian constitution|{{xt|Draconian constitution of Athens}}]]), except in idiomatic uses disconnected from the original context and usually lower-cased in sources ([[Platonic relationship|{{xt|a platonic relationship}}]]; {{xt|complained of draconian workplace policies}}).{{efn|name=eponyms|1=There are some rare additional exceptions to capitalization of eponyms, in which a term has been strongly conventionalized in lower-case, i.e., is preferred that way in a majority of major English-language dictionaries. For example, {{xt|parkinsonian}} describes a patient exhibiting symptoms of [[Parkinson's disease|{{xt|Parkinson's disease}}]]. Linguistics/orthography use of the terms [[Linguistic latinisation|{{xt|latinize}}]], [[Romanisation|{{xt|romanize}}]], and [[Anglicization|{{xt|anglicize}}]] [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Anglo- and similar prefixes|are increasingly lower-case]], and [[Italic type|{{xt|italic[s]}}]] in typography always is.}} An entire phrase in which an eponym is an adjective [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Religions, deities, philosophies, doctrines, and their adherents|is not capitalized]] except when the phrase is itself a proper name (e.g., the [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Titles|title of a published work]]: [[The China Syndrome|{{xt|''The China Syndrome''}}]]).

===Calendar items===
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Calendar items}}
*'''Months, days of the week, and holidays''' start with a capital letter ({{xt|June}}, {{xt|Monday}}; {{xt|the Fourth of July}} refers only to the US Independence Day{{snd}}otherwise {{xt|July 4}} or {{xt|4 July}}).
*'''Seasons''' are in lower case ({{xt|her last summer}}; {{xt|the winter solstice}}; {{xt|spring fever}}), except in personifications or in proper names for periods or events ({{xt|Old Man Winter}}; {{xt|competed on the Spring Circuit}}).

{{Anchor|People, animals, plants, and other organisms}}<!-- It is unlikely this was used much, and the phrase can simply be searched for and replaced. -->

===Animals, plants, and other organisms===
{{Shortcut|MOS:LIFE}}
{{Hatnote|For more detail on capitalization, see {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters|Animals, plants, and other organisms}}; on italicization, {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Text formatting|Italic type}}. See also {{section link|Wikipedia:Lead section|Organisms}} for handling of first sentence. See [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (fauna)]] and [[Wikipedia:Naming conventions (flora)]] for article title guidelines.}}

When using '''[[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomic ("scientific") names]]''', capitalize and italicize the genus: {{xt|''Berberis''}}, {{xt|''Erithacus''}}. (Supergenus and subgenus, when applicable, are treated the same way.) Italicize but do not capitalize taxonomic ranks at the level of species and below: {{xt|''Berberis darwinii''}}, {{xt|''Erithacus rubecula superbus''}}, {{xt|''Acacia coriacea'' subsp. ''sericophylla''}}; no exception is made for proper names forming part of scientific names. Higher taxa (order, family, etc.) are capitalized in Latin ({{xt|Carnivora}}, {{xt|Felidae}}) but not in their English equivalents ({{xt|carnivorans}}, {{xt|felids}}); they are not italicized in either form, except for viruses, where all names accepted by the [[International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses|ICTV]] are italicized ({{xt|''Retroviridae''}}).

'''[[Cultivar]]''' and '''[[cultivar group]]''' names of plants are not italicized, and are capitalized (including the word ''Group'' in the name); cultivar names appear within single quotes ({{xt|''Malus domestica'' 'Red Delicious'}}), while cultivar groups do not ({{xt|''Cynara cardunculus'' Scolymus Group}}).

'''English [[Common name|vernacular ("common") names]]''' are given in lower case in article prose ([[Plains zebra|{{xt|plains zebra}}]]<!-- animal species -->, [[Mountain maple|{{xt|mountain&nbsp;maple}}]]<!-- plant species -->, and [[Southwestern red-tailed hawk|{{xt|southwestern red-tailed hawk}}]]<!-- bird subspecies -->) and in sentence case at the start of sentences and in other places where the first letter of the first word is capitalized.{{efn|name=Sentence case}} They are additionally capitalized where they contain proper names: [[Przewalski's horse|{{xt|Przewalski's&nbsp;horse}}]]<!-- eponym -->, [[California condor|{{xt|California&nbsp;condor}}]]<!-- typical geonym -->, and [[Fair-maid-of-France|{{xt|fair-maid-of-France}}]]<!-- unusual but important illustrative case -->. This applies to species and subspecies, as in the previous examples, as well as to general names for groups or types of organism: [[Bird of prey|{{xt|bird&nbsp;of&nbsp;prey}}]]<!-- cross-order ecological niche -->, [[Oak|{{xt|oak}}]]<!-- plant family -->, [[Great apes|{{xt|great&nbsp;apes}}]]<!-- animal family -->, [[Bryde's whales|{{xt|Bryde's&nbsp;whales}}]]<!-- species group -->, [[Livestock guardian dog|{{xt|livestock&nbsp;guardian&nbsp;dog}}]]<!-- domestic type -->, [[Poodle|{{xt|poodle}}]]<!-- domestic breed group but not a breed -->, [[Van cat|{{xt|Van&nbsp;cat}}]]<!-- domestic geographic landrace -->, [[Wolfdog|{{xt|wolfdog}}]]<!-- hybrid/crossbreed/mongrel not recognized as a standardized breed -->. When the common name coincides with a scientific taxon, do not capitalize or italicize, except where addressing the organism taxonomically: {{xt|A lynx is any of the four medium-sized wild cat species within the genus ''Lynx''.}} Non-English vernacular names, when relevant to include, are handled like any other non-English terms: italicized as such, and capitalized only if the rules of the native language require it. Non-English names that have become English-assimilated are treated as English ([[Ayahuasca|{{xt|ayahuasca}}]], [[Okapi|{{xt|okapi}}]]).

'''[[Breed standard|Standardized breeds]]''' should generally retain the capitalization used in the breed standards.{{efn|name=Standardized breeds|1=Breeds guideline added per a {{Diff2|881140543|RfC on capitalization of the names of standardized breeds|December 2018 RfC}}. "Standardized breed" lacks a perfectly clear meaning, but does encompass any breed subject to the [[breed standard]] or [[studbook]] of a notable breeder/fancier organization. Various other groupings of domesticated animals are not standardized breeds: ancient historical varieties, breed groups, feral populations, landraces, and [[crossbreed]]s or [[Hybrid (biology)|hybrids]] that no major organizations recognize as breeds. Many often are not [[Wikipedia:Notability|notable]] anyway.}} Examples: [[German Shepherd|{{xt|German Shepherd}}]], [[Russian White goat|{{xt|Russian White goat}}]], [[Berlin Short-faced Tumbler|{{xt|Berlin Short-faced Tumbler}}]]. As with plant cultivars, this applies whether or not the included noun is a proper name, in contrast to how vernacular names of species are written. However, unlike cultivars, breeds are never put in single quotation marks, and their names are never part of a scientific name. A species term appended at the end for disambiguation ("cat", "hound", "horse", "swine", etc.) should not be capitalized, unless it is a part of the breed name itself and is consistently presented that way in the breed standards (rare cases include [[Norwegian Forest Cat|{{xt|Norwegian Forest Cat}}]] and [[American Quarter Horse|{{xt|American Quarter Horse}}]]).

Create [[Wikipedia:Redirect|redirects]] from alternative capitalization and spelling forms of article titles, and from alternative names, e.g., [[Adélie Penguin]], [[Adelie penguin]], [[Adelie Penguin]] and ''[[Pygoscelis adeliae]]'' should all redirect to [[Adélie penguin]].

===Celestial bodies===
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Celestial bodies}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Naming conventions (astronomical objects)}}
The words ''sun'', ''earth'', ''moon'', and ''solar system'' do not take capitals in general use ({{xt|The sun was over the mountain top}}; {{xt|The tribal people thought of the whole earth as their home}}). They are capitalized when the entity is personified ({{xt|Sol Invictus ('Unconquered Sun') was the Roman sun god}}) or when used as the name of a specific body in a scientific or astronomical context ({{xt|The Moon orbits the Earth}}; but {{xt|Io is a moon of Jupiter}}).

Names of planets, moons, asteroids, comets, stars, constellations, and galaxies are proper names, and therefore capitalized ({{xt|The planet Mars is in the constellation Gemini, near the star Pollux}}). The first letter of every word in such a name is capitalized ({{xt|Alpha Centauri}} and not {{!xt|Alpha centauri}}; {{xt|Milky Way}}, not {{!xt|Milky way}}). Words such as ''comet'' and ''galaxy'' should be capitalized when they form part of a proper name, but not when they are used as a generic term ({{xt|Halley's Comet is the most famous of the comets}}; {{xt|The Andromeda Galaxy is a spiral galaxy}}).

===Compass points<span class="anchor" id="Compass"></span>===
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Compass points}}

Do not capitalize '''directions''' such as ''north'' or their related forms ({{xt|We took the northern road}}) except when they are parts of proper names ({{xt|Great North Road}}, {{xt|Great Western Drive}}, {{xt|South Pole}}).

Capitalize '''names of regions''' if they have attained proper-name status, including informal conventional names ({{xt|Southern California}}; {{xt|the Western Desert}}), and derived terms for people (e.g., a ''Southerner'' as someone from the [[Southern United States]]). Do not capitalize descriptive names for regions that have not attained the status of proper names, such as {{xt|southern Poland}}.

Composite directions may or may not be hyphenated, depending on the [[#National varieties of English|variety of English adopted]] in the article. {{xt|Southeast Asia}} and {{xt|northwest}} are more common in American English; but {{xt|South-East Asia}} and {{xt|north-west}} in British English. In cases such as {{xt|north–south dialogue}} and {{xt|east–west orientation}}, use an en dash; see {{section link||En dashes: other uses}}.

===Proper names versus generic terms<span id="Institutions"></span>===
{{Main|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Institutions|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters#Capitalization of ''The''}}

Capitalize names of particular institutions ({{xt|the founding of the University of Delhi}}; {{xt|the history of Stanford University}}) but not generic words for institutions ({{xt|the high school is near the university}}). Do not capitalize ''the'' at the start of an institution's name, regardless of the institution's preferred style. There are rare exceptions, when a leading ''The'' is represented by a ''T'' in the organization's acronym: {{xt|The International Cat Association (TICA)}}.

Treat political or geographic units similarly: {{xt|The city has a population of 55,000}}; {{xt|The two towns merged to become the City of Smithville}}. Do not mimic the style of local newspapers which refer to their municipality as ''the City'' or ''The City''; an exception is the [[City of London]], referred to as {{xt|the City}} in a context that already makes the subject clear, as distinct from [[London]] and [[Greater London]]. When in doubt, use the full name for [[Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility|accessibility]] reasons; users of text-to-speech systems usually cannot hear a difference between ''city'' and ''City''.